Somerset County, New Jersey, recently released a consolidation report recommending that 19 suburban police departments merge into a single countywide department with five precincts.
The report estimates $44 million would be saved in the first 10 years. The goal is ultimately to have all 21 municipalities in the county join the plan, but officials recognize that may be tough.
The driving force of the plan is to improve efficiency and reduce costs. It has taken five years for the county to get a finalized report, which began the initial research into consolidation in 2006. A subcommittee was formed back then to look deeply into the cost-savings.
One of the key findings was that the supervisor-to-officer ratio was abnormally low, with one supervisor for two officers. The report recommended that the ratio increase to one supervisor for five officers. Methods of change would include losing positions due to attrition instead of layoffs.
The entire task force report can be found here, with subcommittee reports on topics such as labor contracts and facilities.